Sequel To 1999 Taye Diggs Comedy ‘The Best Man’ Is Happening For Some Reason

Sequel To 1999 Taye Diggs Comedy 'The Best Man' Is Happening For Some Reason

Listen, we get it. It’s far easier for studios to develop spinoffs, sequels and prequels based on pre-existing characters and franchises rather than (god forbid) throwing money behind original, new ideas. But even with that knowledge, Hollywood can still surprise us as Deadline reports that Universal is getting a sequel to the 1999 Taye Diggs comedy “The Best Man” underway. Yeah, we don’t remember that movie either and we’re not sure anybody is asking for new one, but whatever, right?

Proving that half of the work in Tinseltown comes from handshakes at dinner, the idea apparently came out when director Malcolm D. Lee (“Undercover Brother,” “Soul Men“) held a reunion dinner and everyone decided it might be fun to work together again. The studio liked the idea and a new movie was born. It’s an odd move on Universal’s part. While the low-budgeted 1999 flick turned a profit, its $35 million total box office haul is hardly a blockbuster number, but considering the studio has already milked sequels out of their big movies of that year — “The Mummy” and “American Pie” — we guess they figure it’s time to get on to whatever was left over (though we’d much a prefer a “Mystery Men” followup).

There’s no word on what cast members — who included Morris Chestnut, Regina Hall, Terrence Howard, Harold Perrineau, Nia Long and Sanaa Lathan — might be returning but we figured pretty much all those have got nothing to lose by coming back. Malcolm D. Lee will once again direct and we suppose we now we have an excuse for renting “The Best Man.”

Comments

Please do your research before posting about something you clearly know NOTHING about. This movie is a CLASSIC in the Black community, and is probably the best Black wedding film to date. There is excitement all over Facebook about this remake by those who were fans of the original. I can barely walk into a Black household that doesn’t have this movie on DVD. I always wanted a sequel (as did many of my friends) and am excited the time has come…..I just hope that Malcolm Lee is able to pull off a quality sequel 12 years later.

I can understand making a sequel to it. It’s not so different from giving Joss Whedon money to make a film spinoff of a cancelled TV series. And at least The Best Man’s box office gross tripled its budget according to IMDb, unlike Mystery Men (which I would like to see a sequel to as well).

But I’m leery about sequels made more than 10 years after the previous film. Sure, there have been plenty of exceptions but most of them are the rule. I don’t know if Malcolm Lee had written a sequel to The Best Man years ago and is only now able to make it, but in the era of Tyler Perry, I’m glad that they’re giving someone like Lee an opportunity to make more films aimed at the black community featuring characters that aren’t embarrassing caricatures.